Asian Paints CEO Amit Syngle says FY26 growth will focus on brand equity, innovation, regional campaigns and B2B, with ad spend up 11.3% to Rs 1272.86 crore
Asian Paints is sharpening its focus on brand building, innovation and regional marketing as it looks to drive growth in FY26, according to CEO Amit Syngle.
In the company’s latest annual report, Syngle identified strengthening brand equity as one of the key growth drivers for the year, alongside innovation, scaling services, deepening regional market execution, expanding B2B opportunities and increasing its presence in industrial coatings.
The paints major continued to build on its long-running “Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai” platform, positioning the brand as more than just a paint company. According to Syngle, the campaign reinforced the idea that Asian Paints is intrinsically linked to the identity, memories and aspirations that homes represent.
To deepen cultural relevance and consumer engagement, the company strengthened its presence across entertainment, sports and music properties. These included its 25-year association with Kaun Banega Crorepati, its role as the Official Colour Partner of the Indian cricket team, partnerships with regional editions of Bigg Boss and collaborations with Spotify I-POP.
“These efforts helped deepen consumer engagement with the brand while reinforcing aspiration, preference and relevance across markets,” Syngle said.
Reflecting its increased focus on marketing, Asian Paints reported an 11.3% year-on-year increase in advertising and sales promotion expenditure to Rs 1,272.86 crore in FY26. Further, Asian Paints also collaborated with more than 5,440 architects and interior designers (AID) and 137,000-plus business creators during the year.
Regionalisation remained a key pillar of the company’s strategy, enabling more targeted communication and portfolio interventions across geographies. Building on its limited-edition regional packaging initiative launched a year earlier, Asian Paints expanded the programme to additional markets and introduced more region-specific campaigns.
Among them was the ‘Garv Se Haryana’ campaign for Apex Dust Proof, which drew on local cultural themes to strengthen consumer relevance. The company also continued to enhance customer engagement through QR-enabled augmented reality features embedded in regional packaging, allowing consumers to explore the stories behind each design.
Chairman R. Seshasayee said the company continued to invest aggressively in brand equity and product innovation despite a challenging operating environment.
“We continued to aggressively reinforce our brand equity and disruptive innovation. By introducing a wave of novel product propositions and intensifying our marketing efforts, we ensured that Asian Paints remains the first choice for the evolving Indian consumer,” Seshasayee said.
He added that the company’s premium and luxury portfolio strategy has helped drive healthier realisations while strengthening its overall brand positioning.
